International

Nunes the man to follow in bumper Seoul card

Manoel Nunes has certainly stirred up the Seoul backstretch since arriving in the capital earlier this year and once more than Brazilian jockey looks to be the man to follow through Sunday’s big race-card.

Nunes had ridden occasionally in Korea before, participating in an international jockey challenge as well as riding Singapore-trained horses in the Korea Cup but took up his first full-time license in Seoul at the beginning of summer.

Manoel Nunes, picture Korea Racing Authority

It took him a couple of weeks to acclimatize but since then, he has been flying, riding a total of 21 winners in 118 rides, fifteen of them since the start of July – four more than fellow Brazilian Antonio Da Silva, who has the second-best record in that period. He even had time to slip over to his former stomping-ground of Macau to ride the winner of the Macau Derby at Taipa.

With no racing at Busan on Sunday, Seoul has things its own way and that means there’s a full 15-race card, with 12 race brodcast on Sky Racing. Nunes rides in only seven of them but all are live chances beginning on debut-maker Wint Seven in the juvenile maiden race 2. That race also sees the first start of the intriguingly-named Do Kki Blade. The Officer colt, who has the same owner as the horses he’s named after, Power Blade and Cheongdam Dokki, had better turn out well with a name like that although it is fair to say he offered few clues in his trial.

Other Nunes mounts that look hard to beat include Roman Blade in race 6, O.J.Hwak Dab in race 8 and Jangsan Jepae in race 9. Compatriot Da Silva shuld also be among the winners at some point with Dae Wan Ma in race 7 his stand-out chance.

The feature contest of the day is the very last one. Neither Nunes or Da Silva have a ride in the six-furlong class 1 sprint for which Cheonjiga is the pick. The American import won a similar race to this back in May and while he had a hard time on his reappearance at the beginning of last month, he can return to winning ways over a less than intimidating set of opposition.

Sunday’s races at Seoul run from 10:45am to 6pm local Korea time, from 11.45am AEST in Australia.